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Remote patient monitoring — in which physiologic measurements are transmitted automatically to healthcare practitioners — allows clinicians to monitor patients who are outside a clinical setting. Interest in and use of remote monitoring have increased recently because of advances in technology, challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and expanded Medicare reimbursement. In this study, U.S. researchers used procedure codes to quantify use of remote monitoring among traditional Medicare enrollees, with special attention to its use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From February 2020 to September 2021, monthly remote monitoring claims increased from 91 to 594 per 100,000 enrollees. During the pandemic, 63% of remote monitoring services were provided by primary care, followed by cardiology (20%) and pulmonary (4%) specialties. The most common indications for general remote monitoring were hypertension (63%), diabetes (8%), sleep disorders (4%), hyperlipidemia (4%), and heart disease (3%). Overall, hypertension monitoring provided by primary care accounted for 43% of remote monitoring services.
Tang M et al. Trends in remote patient monitoring use in traditional Medicare. JAMA Intern Med 2022 Sep; 182:1005. (https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.3043)
Comment
The authors note that evidence is lacking on clinical benefits of remote monitoring, and they raise concerns about overuse. Although this study showed that remote monitoring of traditional Medicare patients increased sixfold during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have yet to see whether clinical benefit accrued in this population. And, even if remote monitoring does result in salutary outcomes, it is not free, so we will need to identify clinical situations in which remote monitoring is most beneficial.